Expert: Steven LJ Russo - 5/9/2010

Question
Pretend I am a child living in the middle of Indiana. Its 10:00 PM. I should be asleep but I'm looking at the sky through my bedroom window. Nothing blocks the view, the moon isn't bright this night, but I'm not too far away from suburban lights... I'm looking to the North (or whatever direction you recommend - but I won't be changing windows) What constellations will I see in each of the 4 seasons- March, June, September, December) Actually, in Indiana, we are more likely to call April Spring, July Summer, October Autumn, and January Winter... but I thought it would be good to link the seasons to the equinox and solstice days.

I hope I'm not asking for too much information. As an adult, I used to always look for "the sisters" when I'd go out in the AM to get the paper. We've moved since then and the dog brings in the news.

I chose 10 PM thinking the sky would be dark enough for stars, but its also fun to watch the bright ones early evening and the lingering ones before dawn.

Thank you for reading this lengthy message.
Ann Barber

Answer
Hi Ann.

My answer would be way to long and detailed, so here are a couple of choices.

Find your local planetarium and see if they have a gift shop that sells "adjustable" star maps that you can vary by season.

Another choice is to go to:

http://www.skyandtelescope.com/

If you scroll down on their page, there will be a section where you can get an on-line star chart.

Steve